69 Facts About Robert Fripp

1.

Robert Fripp was born on 16 May 1946 and is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson.

2.

Robert Fripp has worked extensively as a session musician and collaborator, notably with David Bowie, Blondie, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Daryl Hall, Midge Ure, Talking Heads, and David Sylvian.

3.

Robert Fripp composed the startup sound of Windows Vista operating system, in collaboration with Tucker Martine and Steve Ball.

4.

Robert Fripp's discography includes contributions to over 700 official releases.

5.

Robert Fripp's innovations include a tape delay system known as Frippertronics and new standard tuning.

6.

Robert Fripp was born in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England, the second child of a working-class family.

7.

In 1957, at age eleven, Fripp received a guitar for Christmas from his parents and recalled, "Almost immediately I knew that this guitar was going to be my life".

8.

Robert Fripp then took guitar lessons from Kathleen Gartell and Don Strike; at age 11, Elvis Presley's guitarist Scotty Moore inspired Fripp to play rock, moving on to traditional jazz at 13 and modern jazz at 15.

9.

Robert Fripp cited jazz musicians Charlie Parker and Charles Mingus as his musical influences during this time.

10.

In 1961, the fifteen-year-old Robert Fripp joined his first band, The Ravens, which included Gordon Haskell on bass.

11.

However, at seventeen, Robert Fripp decided to become a professional musician.

12.

Robert Fripp became the guitarist in the jazz outfit The Douglas Ward Trio, playing in the Chewton Glen Hotel of New Milton, followed by a stint in the rock and roll band The League of Gentlemen which included two former Ravens members.

13.

In 1965, Robert Fripp left the group to attend Bournemouth College, where he studied economics, economic history, and political history for his A-levels.

14.

In February 1965, Robert Fripp went to see the Duke Ellington Orchestra, an experience which moved him deeply.

15.

Robert Fripp subsequently spent three further years playing light jazz in the Majestic Dance Orchestra at Bournemouth's Majestic Hotel.

16.

At age 21, going back home from college late at night, Robert Fripp tuned on to Radio Luxemburg where he heard the last moments of "A Day in the Life".

17.

In 1967, Robert Fripp responded to an advertisement placed by Bournemouth-born brothers Peter and Michael Giles, who wanted to work with a singing organist.

18.

Robert Fripp was listed as the sole composer of the band's music during this time, which built on the first album's blueprint but progressed further into jazz rock and free jazz while taking form from Sinfield's esoteric lyrical and mythological concepts.

19.

In 1971, Robert Fripp ousted Sinfield and took over de facto leadership of King Crimson.

20.

From this point onwards, Robert Fripp would be the only constant member of the band, which in turn would be defined primarily by his compositional and conceptual ideas.

21.

Robert Fripp formally disbanded the group in 1974, in what eventually turned out to be merely the first in a regular series of long hiatuses and further transformations.

22.

Robert Fripp pursued side projects during King Crimson's less active periods.

23.

Robert Fripp worked with Keith Tippett on projects far from rock music, playing with and producing Centipede's Septober Energy in 1971 and Ovary Lodge in 1973.

24.

Robert Fripp produced Matching Mole's Matching Mole's Little Red Record in 1972.

25.

On "The Heavenly Music Corporation" from No Pussyfooting, Robert Fripp used a tape delay system using two modified Revox A77 reel-to-reel tape machines for the first time.

26.

In 1973, Robert Fripp performed the guitar solo on "Baby's on Fire", perhaps the best-known track on Eno's solo debut Here Come the Warm Jets.

27.

Robert Fripp returned to musical work as a studio guitarist on Peter Gabriel's first self-titled album in 1976, released the following year.

28.

Robert Fripp toured with Gabriel to support the album, but remained out of sight and used the pseudonym "Dusty Rhodes".

29.

Robert Fripp produced and played on Gabriel's second album in 1978.

30.

Robert Fripp gives the colour to this piece, being fifty per cent responsible for its construction.

31.

In 1977, Robert Fripp received a phone call from Eno, who was working on David Bowie's album "Heroes".

32.

Robert Fripp's playing on Heroes initiated a series of collaborations with other musicians.

33.

Robert Fripp simultaneously assembled what he called a "second-division touring new wave instrumental dance band" under the name League of Gentlemen, with bassist Sara Lee, keyboardist Barry Andrews and drummer Johnny Elichaoff.

34.

In 1982 Robert Fripp produced and played guitar on Keep on Doing by The Roches.

35.

Robert Fripp was offered a teaching position at the American Society for Continuous Education in Claymont Court, West Virginia in 1984.

36.

Robert Fripp had been involved with the ASCE since 1978, eventually serving on its board of directors, and had long been considering the idea of teaching guitar.

37.

Robert Fripp's course, Guitar Craft, was begun in 1985, an offshoot of which was a performance group, "The League of Crafty Guitarists", which has released several albums.

38.

In February 2009, Robert Fripp recommended that Guitar Craft cease to exist on its 25th anniversary in 2010.

39.

On 1 September 2022 Robert Fripp published The Guitar Circle, a book of writings concerning Guitar Craft.

40.

Robert Fripp has released a number of records that he called "soundscapes", including 1999, Radiophonics, A Blessing of Tears, That Which Passes, November Suite, The Gates of Paradise, Love Cannot Bear and At the End of Time, as well as numerous download-only live recordings.

41.

Robert Fripp contributed to Sylvian's twenty-minute track "Steel Cathedrals" from his Alchemy: An Index of Possibilities album of 1985.

42.

In late 1991, Robert Fripp had asked Sylvian to join a re-forming King Crimson as a vocalist.

43.

Also in 1991, Robert Fripp released an album with the project Sunday All Over The World, featuring his wife Toyah Willcox, former League of Crafty Guitarists member Trey Gunn on Chapman Stick, and drummer Paul Beavis.

44.

In July 1993, Sylvian and Robert Fripp released the collaborative effort The First Day.

45.

Robert Fripp contributed soundscapes and guitar to two albums by the UK band Iona: 1993's Beyond These Shores and 1996's Journey into the Morn.

46.

In late 1994, Robert Fripp re-formed the 1981 line-up of King Crimson for its fifth incarnation, adding Trey Gunn and drummer Pat Mastelotto in a configuration known as the "double trio".

47.

In 2004, Robert Fripp toured with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai as the guitar trio G3.

48.

Robert Fripp worked at Microsoft's studios to record the startup sound for Windows Vista.

49.

Robert Fripp designed the soundscape and composed the melody, while Tucker Martine created the rhythm and Microsoft's own Steve Ball added the harmonies and created the final arrangement.

50.

In 2006 Robert Fripp contributed his composition "At The End Of Time" to the Artists for Charity album Guitarists 4 the Kids, produced by Slang Productions, to assist World Vision Canada in helping underprivileged children.

51.

Robert Fripp sporadically performed Soundscapes as an opening act for Porcupine Tree on various tours from 2006 through 2009.

52.

Also in 2009, Robert Fripp played a concert with the band the Humans, appeared on Judy Dyble's Talking With Strangers and played on two tracks on Jakko Jakszyk's album The Bruised Romantic Glee Club.

53.

In 2010, Robert Fripp contributed a guitar solo to an extended version of the song 'Heathen Child' by Grinderman, released as a B-side on the 'Super Heathen Child' single.

54.

Robert Fripp produced it and played guitar, in collaboration with British EDM Duo The Grid.

55.

In subsequent years, Robert Fripp has used customized Les Paul-style guitars by Tokai, 48th St Custom, and Fernandes.

56.

Robert Fripp recommended that Guitar Craft students adopt the Ovation 1867 Legend steel-string guitar, which had a shallow body.

57.

In 1985, Robert Fripp began using a tuning he called "New Standard tuning", which would become popularised in Guitar Craft.

58.

Robert Fripp combines rapid alternate picking and crosspicking with motifs employing whole-tone or diminished pitch structures and sixteenth-note patterns for long stretches in a form called moto perpetuo.

59.

Robert Fripp married singer and actress Toyah Willcox on 16 May 1986 in Poole, Dorset, England.

60.

Robert Fripp previously lived at Thornhill Cottage, Holt, Dorset and Fernhill House, Witchampton.

61.

Robert Fripp is the patron of the Seattle Circle Guitar School in the United States and the Shallal Dance Theatre in Penzance, England.

62.

Robert Fripp has had engagements as a motivational speaker, often at events with his sister Patricia, who is a keynote speaker and speech coach.

63.

Robert Fripp is ranked 62nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2011 list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time after having been ranked 42nd by David Fricke on its 2003 list.

64.

DGM releases music by Robert Fripp, KC, related acts, and other artists in CDs and in downloadable files.

65.

In 2011, Robert Fripp complained that the music-distribution service Grooveshark continued to stream his music despite his having delivered repeated takedown notices.

66.

Robert Fripp's published exchange was included in a suit against Grooveshark by Universal Music Group, which was filed in November 2011.

67.

Robert Fripp had previous experience protecting his music in litigation with music companies.

68.

Robert Fripp has been extremely active as a recording musician and a producer.

69.

Robert Fripp has contributed to more than 700 official releases.